This was on my mind, and, well, since I couldn't think of anything else to, I figured what the hell.

[Independent_Liberal]

I haven't been posting on this board as often as I used to. It's mainly because it can kind of get depressing sometimes. I think you all know what I'm talking about. All the Dem bashing. All the hopelessness. All the dwelling on the negative. All the bitterness between DUers. I just felt the need to get away from it for a while. Usually when I think people are advocating defeat, I have a tendency to take it personally and I kind of give them a hard time about it. I don't mean to, it's just that I like to tell people to not let go of what they believe they should do which is right. So when people act really cynical, which a lot of us seem to do around here, sometimes I get annoyed if I feel I've been around it too much. I don't want to lash out at anyone in any way. I try to be patient and just say, "We all have our opinions. We can't know anything for certain. None of us can be truly right or wrong about anything." There's some of us who like to keep a healthy level of optimism which I think is always good. I do consider myself to be more optimistic than some.

So, my point is that I'm just as frustrated as anybody else about the timidy of our Congressional Democrats and I feel there's a lot of things they should be getting done that they haven't done yet. That's understandable. But it's kind of dishartening when we go to the length of calling people like Pelosi, Reid, Hoyer, and others traitors and we all say that they're sellouts, in bed with the corporations, complicit, etc. While I wish it didn't have to come to that, I can kind of see how it does. You have such high expectations and think our side is better than the other and when things don't seem to be going as you expect, you really have a tendency to lash out and be cynical and resort to name-calling.

It's all understandable. Understandable because of the situation we're in and how scared to death we are for our democracy and the future of our country and the world. I'm glad everybody understands the magnitude of it. You want our reps to press on harder and really put forth an effort to end the war and move forward with aggressive investigations, criminal proceedings and impeachment against BushCo. Since this hasn't happened yet, you think to yourself, "They're not going to do anything. They're worthless." Well, when we say that, problem is, we aren't insiders, so what do we really know? But in the end, is it really worth it to bash the Dems so viciously and give up all hope and whine around say "they're going to get away with it" and "there's nothing we can do" while your country descends into fascism or is it more productive to focus on what good things have happened so far and how you can keep the momentum going in the right direction? While I agree, it doesn't seem like much has happened, and you've all been sitting at your computer writing to your Congress critters demanding action and it doesn't seem like anything has taken and you wonder what the hell's going on. What if there was a chance things really would've worked out in the end and you completely gave up hope and let democracy go down in flames and there was a chance you could've saved it? Wouldn't you feel even worse? I understand the tendency we have to argue about everything and how some of us have different ideas as to what is the most productive thing to do. Debating your ideas is a good thing. That's an important element in any democracy. But it's important that we not let it tear us apart and divide us. I share the goal of many here at DU of ending the immoral and illegal Iraq occupation, bringing the Bush criminals to justice, doing away with the corporate/military/security/prison industrial complex that leads to global corruption, and doing something about global warming. To everyone who shares these beliefs with me, I gladly admire it and I appreciate the work all of you bloggers have done about getting information out to the public, waking people up, and turning society in a new direction where we are informed and care about what our government does. To those of you who are dedicated to this, I say thank you.

All in all, we should keep fighting for what we believe in. If somebody tries to get you down, it's best you don't let it get to you and keep doing what you're doing. The point is, something you're fighting for that may seem like a lost cause to some may actually be something that was worth your time going after in the end.

Sincerely,

Independent_Liberal

[Ravy]

1. Well said. Recommended. nt

[emilyg]

2. Kick

[JeffR]

3. K & R

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

4. I tried to get in the "Fun Run"

but didn't get an answer to my request. I get down too. I think I have some insight, and maybe being a Sag. I'm optimistic. Today while going to Oakland I listened to a program on KPFA and I heard a Garth Brooks release under another name. He didn't want to use his own because of "whatever"... but this song was not him, it was the "come on people now, let's get together, try to love one another right now" mixed with "maybe it's the..., maybe it's the..., maybe it's the...," (sorry, I can't right now recall all those things the song goes on and on about, but it just goes on and on)... Anyhow I was amazed with how it was put together. It was called someones greatest hits. And when the guy said it was a Garth Brooks release it just blew me away. Guess it is something like Bob and company releasing "The Traveling Willburys" album.

Any how, I put out a post about my platform for President (first recorded on Unknown News for the 2004 run) and got absolutely no response. But I still think I could do a better job than the critter playing the roll now.

[cooolandrew]

5. One thing is constant it's always a battle of light and darkness. Darkness has never overcome light.

All we can do is just push, push, push, push. All that can be done is keep going till we get this boulder of corrutption out of the way then it's a clear run for the future.

[madokie]

6. they'll always be big boulders to move but what the heck

all the pushing keeps us in shape, doesn't it. as long as there is man I think they'll be some who want to control the rest of us for their own personal reasons which change with each wanta be and in the end we'll die fighting but fight we must. If we give up today the people to follow us won't have much of a chance and so out of respect for the ones who left us a fighting chance we must continue the fight.
good post
peace

[Independent_Liberal]

7. Thanks guys!

I appreciate the kind responses.

[Hamlette]

8. thanks, this is just how I feel k&r

FDR's first priority when he took office in 1932 was universal health care coverage for all Americans.

In 1968 50% of Americans thought we should get out of Vietnam but it took 6 years to do it.

Things happen more slowly than we want but it is not so different now than it was then.

As the British said during WWII (when they were being bombed) Stay Calm and Carry On. We will progress because we are right and they are wrong.

It's just too depressing to listen to the griping about how slow it is all the time and I too have spent much less time here than before the 2006 election.

http://www.keepcalmandcarryon.com/

[DCKit]

9. The emphasis on the Presidential election is pissing me off. It's not our only remedy.

Even if, and God forbid, we ended up with another rabid, warmongering corporate whore pResident, a strong Democratic majority Congress is our best weapon and the only way to take back and retain ownership of our government. Obama's hype prior to the last election was completely overblown, but I'm hearing less than nothing about anyone running against a Republican incumbent in the current race. Who and where are our current crop of stars?

The message from Pelosi, Reid and others may be scaring the pants off certain folks over at 1600, but the average Joe and Jane aren't getting it, thus the anger. The anger may not, in fact, be justified, but it's real and completely understandable. We demanded change in the last election and the perception is of foot dragging and business as usual in both Houses. Henry Waxman and DK seem to be two of maybe a handful on the case and standing up for U.S..

I make it a point to ignore nearly every post with any front-runner's name in it unless it's obviously positive news about specific ideas or statements they have made. I have my own likes, dislikes and suspicions, but it's not about who becomes President, it's electing a new type of characters to the Houses of Congress to prevent this ever happening again: Unwillingly and with malice aforethought, led down roads that every great American political figure warned us against. And ONLY because we allowed it to happen.

We need to push for non-corporate, educated liberals and progressives in both Houses and all the way down to the city level and put the "public" back in "public service." To date, presidential politics is only detracting from that. We're allowing HRC, BO, JE, DK and JB to be the focus of the incredible tool that is DU, and blowing it by not focusing more on local and regional elections.

Would we lose anything by completely ignoring the insane race that is Presidential politics if we were to gain better than 30% in every other race in the country? I think not, and we could probably do even better if so many of us weren't wasting our time here either bashing or praising the front-runners. In the end, what do we gain by perpetuating MSM misinformation, the politics of slime and Republic talking points here on DU? Isn't that anathema to what we are?

Chances are excellent or better that our next President is going to be a Democrat, but what will we gain if we allow the pool of future candidates to remain anemic because we didn't work to also pump up our representation at the local, state and federal levels? These are the races that are important now AND in the future. We're not going to hold onto the political structure of this country unless we fight for it and the best way to do that is to elect the local, rising Democratic stars to provide a viable pool of future Congressional and Presidential candidates.

[mdmc]

10. peace and low stress my friend

perhaps trying pi.com might help (just as much dem bashing, but no leftist bashing. And no need to toe a party line. And still lots of Ron Paul bashing to boot!)

Feel better. Peace and low stress. God bless.:kick: